Bernie. Head of F1 for next 300 years

[SL]

This I cannot wait for, copied from today's Sunday Times.

Bernie Ecclestone, the billionaire Formula One boss, is to be immortalised in a Simpsons-style TV cartoon series based on the sport.

The Sunday Times can exclusively reveal it will be set 300 years in the future and is billed as Futurama meets Wacky Races and the Simpsons.

The Ecclestone character will still be in control of the animated races having been cyrogenically preserved. He is the only recognisable character from today’s F1 circus who will feature in the cartoon series.

The green light was given to the secret project last month, and production is due to start in the summer at Cosgrove Hall, the award winning animation studio that made Dangermouse and Bill & Ben.

The script writers who have worked with comedian Paul Whitehouse, have begun work on the first programme. This is being made and funded by Granada and Chrysalis, which are also involved in producing F1 coverage.

The series, which will be sold around the world, will not be ready until 2003. It is as yet unnamed and is part of a move by Ecclestone to cash in on the vast intellectual-property rights he has built into the F1 brand. Neil Duncanson, MD of Chrysalis TV, was contacted by Eccelstone, whose team had come up with the idea.

Duncanson said “He had got this plan, which we then developed. He was sceptical about being a character but we managed to convince him. This thing will fly. It will be what we think F1 might be like in the future in a fun format which will be quite gladiatorial, with drivers racing for different universes”.

The series has an F1 licence, which will help it to sell worldwide. It may take a slot linked to the real races but is more likly to be screned as a standalone project. About £8m has been invested in the project. The race organisers, team owners will be fictional characters. One driver, Johnny Apex, wears an eye patch because he is blind in one eye.

Except from Sunday Times 29 April, by Rupert Steiner

Simon

[Tristan]

Wow! That WILL be something to look forward too! If they do it right (ie Matt Groening style), it could be a wicked series!